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A Big Welcome- And Happy Birthday- To Our Newest Fall Intern

In the wake of her big 1-9 today, we would love to introduce you to one of our fantastic Fall Interns, Laurie Beckoff. (Don’t let the stance fool you, she’s harmless!)

Born and bred in Queens, Laurie Beckoff is a University of Chicago student studying both English and Political Science. Impassioned by both, Beckoff currently writes editorial pieces centered around politics and culture for the University of Chicago online magazine, Diskord. She also has experience as a Greenpeace volunteer, and was a longtime District Office volunteer for city council member Mark Reprin.

With a niche for all things art-related, Laurie is active in the theater as well, performing in the Dr. Who version of The Tempest, in her favorite role as The Queen in Once Upon A Mattress. (Bearing quite an uncanny resemblance to The Red Queen in Alice in Wonderland if we do say so ourselves.)

Given her New York City origin, Laurie first became interested in interning with Behind the Book upon viewing the comprehensive list of books we have used in our programs. “I’ve read a ton of BtB books,” she said. “Growing up, some of my favorite were from Andrea Pinkney, and when I saw her name listed, it immediately reminded me of my childhood.”

Wanting to help inspire kids to explore their imaginations the way she was able to, Laurie reached out to Behind the Book. “It reminded me of my childhood,” she said. “That’s all I did growing up was read.”

Attributing her passion for literature to her mother, Laurie remembers fondly the ritual her mother set into place.”When I was around six years old, the first Harry Potter book came out,” she said. “My mom every night would tell my (older) sister and I to crawl in her bed, and when we were all tucked in together, she’d read them to us until we fell asleep.”

In what might be a symbol of the most dedicated fan in all of HP history, Laurie started her own Harry Potter-enthused Quidditch team in High School. “What can I say,” she laughs. “I love the sport.” Now a member of both the Editorial Staff on her college Quidditch team, and serving as the team manager as well, Laurie continues to act upon what first drove her to the fantastical world of reading.

With that kind of passion, we here at Behind the Book are happy to welcome her to our team. Happy Birthday, Laurie Beckoff, it’s great to have you here.